Research

DEFINE YOUR SPACE

Interdisciplinary is our mandate, studying the physical, chemical and dynamical processes for diverse events such as mountain building, asteroid impacts and tornadoes. Unravel mysteries of the past, present and future states of our Earth and other planets. Study the delicate balance of weather, climates and Earth processes and their impact on our socioeconomic well-being.

Atmosphere-Surface Interaction

To understand the issues in climatic, environmental, geological and ecological studies, you need a deep knowledge of the rates and forms of exchange of chemical species, mass and energy between the atmosphere and the earth surface. Knowledge of the mechanisms governing atmosphere-surface interactions is essential to our understanding of both modern and geologic record and will permit us to speculate about how perturbations to the earth system are potentially mitigated or amplified by feedbacks within that system.

Hurricanes, tornadoes, cyclones and severe thunderstorms. Seasonal flooding and extreme climate activity. Accurately predicting the unpredictable – weather – has never been more essential. Particularly with experts calling for more frequent, and perhaps more intense, extreme events in future climates. Dive into a research and learning environment, focused on advancing our understanding of the physical and statistical behavior of extreme weather and climate events.

The G&G group focuses on the processes that shape our planet - from the motion of tectonic plates, the development of mountain ranges and oil-bearing sedimentary basins, to the triggering of earthquakes. Observational techniques (e.g., cosmogenic isotopes, space geodesy and basins analysis) are used to develop theoretical models that integrate these in consistent, physical frameworks.

NASA's continuing exploration of the planetary system has created many opportunities for the investigation of the geology of new worlds, from tiny cometary nuclei to giant planets in other solar systems. Seeking to extend humankind's knowledge and understanding of the nature of our neighbors in space, by extension, we are also discovering the early history of our own planet.

Three areas of research (climate, convection, and cosmics) have now converged into a common area of investigation that focuses on extreme events. The extreme nature of climate related to global warming, the perplexity of convective events, from cold-air outbreaks to thunderstorms and tornadoes (and their destructive potential), and the effects of solar variability on galactic cosmic rays and related impacts on global cloudiness are all current considerations within EC3.